Name: Petits Choux Meringues
Ingredients: gateaux de boulogne (without almonds); 6 egg whites; powdered sugar; sugar (for dusting)

Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓

Petits Choux Meringues

Oven, in the book's wordsA slow oven

Ingredients

gateaux de boulogne (without almonds)
6 egg whites
powdered sugar
sugar (for dusting)

Directions

The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Bake gateaux de boulogne without almonds and cut off the tops.
Fill the gateaux with Italienne cream.
Beat the egg whites until frothy, then gradually add powdered sugar until smooth.
Drop the meringue mixture onto the filled petits choux.
Dust with sugar and bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) until light in color.
Serve hot.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,679 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together122,807 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Almond + eggtop 25% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,645 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).